BEARDEN HIGH SCHOOL

FOUNDATION

BEARDEN HIGH SCHOOL

FOUNDATION

Making a Lasting Impression

The support of Bearden students and Bearden alumni have brought tremendous improvements to the campus and the school environment. The Bearden Foundation is proud to support and encourage projects initiated by the Bearden community as evidenced by the following examples.

Class of 2016 - Auditorium renovation

A massive fundraising campaign to renovate the high school’s auditorium was the Senior Gift project chosen by the senior class of 2016. The auditorium, built in 1969, is the largest auditorium in the Knox County school system. Originally built to seat 1,250 people, only 1,204 seats remained because 46 seats were taken apart to repair other seats. Because of its large capacity, the BHS auditorium is used not only for Bearden events, but many community functions and forums like county-wide teacher training, collegiate fairs for area high schoolers, and community artistic productions such as dance recitals, dramas, musicals and symphonies.

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The fundraising campaign - dubbed “Get the Best Seat in the House” - sought to increase capacity and improve seat quality through community donations and by encouraging the purchase of a personalized nameplate for one of the new seats for $200. The campaign also involved the Bearden Foundation, the Bearden PTSO and Bearden alumni. The auditorium renovation project is one of the largest Senior Class gifts in the school’s history.

Class of 1978 - Campus beautification

Bearden administrator Anna Graham and former Bearden Foundation president Buddy Heins took a walk on campus one evening after a baseball game in 2015 to discuss ways to improve the aesthetics of the school.

That conversation lead to a plan for Bearden’s Class of 1978 to sponsor the planting of 78 dogwood trees on school grounds. Locations included parking medians, along entrances, and in the front and back of the school. Auto body teacher Mr. Robert McClure dug the holes over fall break and the football team helped with the planting. Trees with white blossoms were chosen and while they were small when they were planted, the dogwoods have continued to grow and make any walk on the Bearden campus and bit more lovely.

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2015

Bearden's campus is already covered with beautiful trees, but the class of 1978 is helping sponsor even more.

Cassidy Bailey (Class of 2016) Photographer

Class of 2013 - Bulldog Statue

2013

The senior class of 2013 wanted to leave something behind before they graduated, something they could be remembered for. They did just that by adding a statue of the Bearden Bulldog outside the main entrance to the school. The seniors hoped their Bulldog would be a "good luck charm" to students entering school, preparing for a big test or big game or perhaps just needing a little reminder of the strength that the Bulldog represents.